17.02.10

Today's heart is........

A salt dough decoration made by one of the boys.

16.02.10

Today's Heart is......

One I bought today at a charity shop.

One of our holiday treats the boys insist on doing, is lingering in one of our favourite towns - Hebden Bridge. It is only 11 miles away from us, but the road is a lonely windswept moor crossing littered with sheep and isolated farmsteads - and we love it.

The road - in places no wider than one car - clings to the side of the hills like a thin grey ribbon. During the summer months, the fields are dotted with white flecks, sheep, but during winter the sheep seem to look cream, brown and even pink against the brilliance of the snow.

Any hoo - at the beginning of the half term break, the boys sat together and wrote me a list of things that they wanted to do. So, whilst it was threatening to start snowing again, we set off for a day in Hebden Bridge.

We love trawling the charity shops. When we returned from Africa to live in the UK, we had literally only two pennies to rub together and our belongings were not due to arrive for some months. I learnt to frequent and love rummaging in these shops. The boys, are they grew up, discovered that toys could be bought for a few pennies and as they got older they found books and DVDs within their pocket money reach.

Sadly, the present economical environment and the increased savvy of the charities have together pushed up prices from these goodwill shops almost equal to the high street. I used to buy adult clothing to repurpose, but now I hesitate buying a second hand shirt with a button missing for just a little less than buying a new one.

Has any one else noticed this price increase? When we were on holiday up in the Orkney, we got chatting to a lady volunteer in one of their local charity shops and I commented to her how cheap their prices were. 

Her response? 

'Well - we have not paid for them, we were given them for free so why charge a lot? Every penny we make here is for charity....it you charge too much, people won't buy'

Why can't other charities see that too? Surely they have noticed that there is a shortage of cash going around and that their sales must have gone down? 

This little heart, however, was very cheap - Why? I suspect it is foreign made, with cheap labour, transported  in without necessarily benefiting the labour force who were employed to make them in the first place.

15.02.10

Today's Heart(s) are brought to you by.........

My Sister in Law.

I don't have a sister and as a child would fantasize about having one. One who would share my room and my games. One who would go out with me or confide in me, someone who was a best friend. I used to envy my friends who had sisters but then my brother grew up, met then married my sister in law - so I adopted her (unofficially of course) as a surrogate sister.

When we'd  first met, she had come with my brother to the UK on holiday and they stayed with us for a couple of weeks. I dragged her off on a couple of my 'girls-nite-girls' get togethers, when after one of them, as I was driving back, I suddenly came over all protective of my 'little bro" and decided to give my new sister-in-law-to-be a stern talking to.

Look, I don't want you breaking his heart - I started firmly

"If you do - I'll break your legs" 

Quick as a flash she replied "Not if I break your neck first"

With the formalities over and done with and out of the way we got on with being firm friends. 

Which is a great relief - who else would have taught me, so patiently, how to crochet?

The tub the hearts arrived in, ready for their photo-shoot.

**********************

Thought for the day.......

Is making peanut butter biscuits a combat sport? - Discuss.....

Well, it is in the hands of my boys.
The egg was whisked to within an inch of being mayonnaised.
The butter and sugar weren't just creamed they were pasted.
And once the dry mix was added to the paste, the resulting dough was rolled, slapped and thudded around onto the baking tray.
All this happened whilst elbows were used as lethal weapons, feet were stomped on and the bowl on my scales suddenly became a blunder-buss.
I finally stepped in and blew the whistle, when from out of the kitchen in a  floury burst, Youngest came sprinting for all he was worth, whilst Eldest was yelling.
"charge..........."

Sigh. This is the first day of half term, I ask myself as I survey what was once a serviceable kitchen and now looked like the opening scene from Terminator 2 whether I will survive to the end of the week.

I hold out little hope....................

14.02.10

Today's heart is.....

Is made with recycled buttons, 

hanging off a vase

filled with roses,

alstromeria

and

gypsophila

From Himself, taken by candle light.

This morning, a coffee was brought to me in bed. The curtains were thrown open and the sun poured in. 

When I came downstairs, on the table for me was a vase full of flowers and a card. 

I am smiling now as I write.

I gave Himself the lovebirds I made and he seemed genuinely pleased.  The boys, however, were indignant as they were not represented as little birds and I was firmly told to add two more - Himself and I just grinned.

It was in August 1995 that I met him.

I had run from a disastrous relationship in Africa and was immature, brittle and smart mouthed. I'd  managed to get a live-in job at a Field Studies Centre in Slapton, South Devon, where I scrubbed toilets, planted trees, waited at tables, made beds, built stiles and fences, milked cows and grew to love the countryside. 

The first person I met was Himself as he lugged all my worldly possessions out of the back of a pickup truck and nearly dislocated his shoulder. His first words were... " %!**#?  ^&(( - what do you have in your suitcase - the kitchen sink??!!"

It was the first time I'd heard a northern accent. He had such a deep voice. And something inside made me want to see him again. He was also at the Field Centre as one of the placement students. When we weren't working, the staff would go out in groups to thelocal  pub or to town, and occasionally a placement would join us. Sometimes Himself, sometimes one of the others.

After a while, only we would go exploring the moors and beaches, the villages and lanes. We would range far and wide discovering the world and each other. We became inseparable, and when at the end  year he had to go back to college and I had to go back to Africa, I followed my heart and followed him.

Years later he told me, that as he was driving down to the Field Centre, he had stopped at a motorway service station for a quick rest. As he was quietly dozing in the car with the radio on, there had been a tap on the window. He looked and saw a woman standing there, he rolled down the window and the woman  said "You are on your way to meet your future wife"

Himself said at the time he thought - **you're barmy** and just smiled at her, wound his window up and drove off (quickly).

It's strange how fate turns out. But I would do it all again.

My three, under a big sky.

13.02.10

Today's Heart has been ..............

Eaten.

These Apple Muffins didn't last long, actually I think that they took longer to cook than they did to cool down and get scoffed. 

12.02.10

Today's Heart is.......

Is an earring.

Well, half of a pair of earrings really.

Just it's a bit difficult taking a picture 

of both of them, 

at the same time 

by myself......

I inherited these, among many other earrings, from Himself's mother.

 I am sad to say that she and I had a prickly relationship, 

we both loved the same man and neither of us was prepared to share. 

As a young (and immature) woman, I could not see why she hung on to him so fiercely, 

but now that I am a mother to two boys, I realise and understand why. 

I wish I had the insight then of what I know and feel now. 

I also wish she had seen our boys, 

it might have improved our relationship.

Despite both boys looking more like me that Himself, 

I see hints of some of her facial expressions in the Eldest.

I have found this post quite hard to write, as it is making me recognise my selfish behaviour 

with no way of saying sorry.

**************************

Time to change the subject.

Still adding to my 52 new recipes challenge, I can now add..........

9. Fruit mincemeat loaf - so successful that good half was eaten on the first day and most of that was eaten still steaming hot! 

10. Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter - please ignore the uninviting name and just do it - this is a recipe from a site called Smitten Kitchen and the recipes are brilliant!

11.Potato and Tomato Curry - a happy ending to  poor prepping and checking of the contents of the store cupboard....... 

Moral of the story is - check what you have in stock BEFORE you get half way through a recipe and go to reach for the ESSENTIAL and MAIN ingredient and find nothing there! 

********************************

Originally, in my germ laden fuzzy head, I had a vague idea that I would make Chana Masala (Chickpea curry) and in a fit of misplaced and unwise inspiration, decided to photograph it as I went along. I diced, sliced, grated and chopped. All the time having mini intervals for streaming eyes, camera positioning and general unwellness. But - being  stupid stoic and  persistant  selfless - I continued......

All through this photo-shoot and cooking, I was putting together my goodies for Knit n Knatter and getting the boys ready for their music lesson with lead-weight blocked sinuses and rheumy eyes.

 The recipe called for ground cumin and coriander, which I measured out and began to crush with the pestle and mortar. It needed chick peas .....................

Then just as Himself stepped into the kitchen from work, I found or rather I couldn't find the ESSENTIAL and MAIN ingredient - the chickpeas. 

I was almost overcome with the situation and rather started Himself as I had a mini but necessary strop - only a pathetic one though coz in my state I was not in a fit state!

After all three of my men carefully took three paces back and made soothing sounds at a safe distance, I recovered myself.

I reached for some potatoes and with their skins left on I par-cooked them instead. Added them to the now ready sauce.  

Unfortunately having spent all my energy cooking and photographing it - 

I couldn't eat it, 

much to Himself's delight 

as it meant more for him 

and he ate it all!

Drat this cold...Sniff.

11.02.10

Today's Heart is ..........

Part of a story,  are you sitting comfortably?  Then I shall begin.

Still under the influence of a pernicious cold that has lingered for nearly 10 days, I took to my sewing machine for comfort and crafting pleasure.
That and the fact that nearly three weeks ago I challenged our Knit n Knatter coven to make something on a Valentines day theme and I still hadn't started mine.

(Please note gratuitous usage of a scrappy heart pin cushion so to continue this month's theme)

I had been gifted some lovely fabrics and one in particular wove itself into my mind for a particular project. So after wearily doing yet another load of pungent washing, I cut out two little bodies.

(Please note further gratuitous usage of a scrappy heart pin cushion) 

At this point I have to say that the house is looking similar to  Mr Woo's Laundry as I am surrounded by  washing hanging everywhere, but - hey - that is so much more preferable to yesterday's bad smell everywhere!

Oh - where was I? 

Yes, yes, 

Today's heart and tonight's Knit n Knatter. 

After some delicate bird surgery, even more delicate cutting of the smallest hearts I have ever made - remind me not to do that again, I went cross eyed....

I have for you now , via a shaggy dog tale....

Today's Heart(s) are .......

.... on two Love Birds

Twirling in the winter sunshine

I will gift them to Himself this Sunday

with my love